Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.
1. A client station, comprising: a physical layer device to receive, from an access point, a requirement for assignment to a first power category among a plurality of power categories defined by the access point, each of the plurality of power categories having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network; a request module to (i) determine whether an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point and (ii) generate, in response to a determination that the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, a request to be assigned to the first power category by the access point, wherein the physical layer device is further to (i) transmit the request to the access point to cause the access point to either accept or reject the request based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, and (ii) based on whether the access point accepts or rejects the request, selectively access the communication channel according to a first access priority associated with the first power category.
A client device in a wireless network requests an optimized channel access priority based on its power usage. The device receives power category requirements (e.g., minimum sleep time) from the access point. If the device meets the requirement for a specific "first" power category, it sends a request to the access point to be assigned to that category. If the access point accepts, the client accesses the network using the channel access priority associated with the "first" power category. This allows lower-power devices to potentially have quicker access.
2. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.
The client station described above determines if it qualifies for the power-saving access priority based on whether its operating characteristics meet a specific threshold value set by the access point. For example, if the access point requires a sleep interval of at least 500ms to qualify for the low-power, high-priority access, the client station checks if its sleep interval meets this threshold.
3. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.
In the client station described above, the operating characteristic used to determine eligibility for a particular power category can be the device's duty cycle (percentage of time active), its sleep interval (how long it sleeps), or its communication channel access frequency (how often it transmits/receives). The client station uses one or more of these metrics to decide if it should request the power-saving access priority.
4. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the first power category is a lower power category than others of the plurality of power categories.
In the client station described above, the "first" power category, for which the device is requesting access, represents a lower power usage state compared to other power categories defined by the access point. Devices in this lower power category may be granted higher channel access priority to compensate for their reduced activity, as a power-saving incentive.
5. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the respective access priorities include the first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with another of the plurality of power categories, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.
The client station described above uses a channel access priority scheme in which the "first" power category has a higher priority for channel access than a "second" power category. Thus, a client in the "first" category will have preferential access to the wireless channel, enabling faster communication and potentially lower power consumption due to reduced contention.
6. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the respective access priorities correspond to respective backoff times.
In the client station described above, different channel access priorities are implemented using different backoff times. A higher priority means a shorter backoff time before attempting to transmit, so the client station waits less before accessing the channel if it is in the "first" power category.
7. The client station of claim 1 , wherein the request includes an indication of the operating characteristic of the client station.
When the client station described above requests assignment to the "first" power category, it sends a message to the access point that includes information about its current operating characteristic (e.g., its duty cycle). This allows the access point to verify that the device actually meets the requirements for the power category.
8. A method for operating a client station, the method comprising: receiving, from an access point, a requirement for assignment to a first power category among a plurality of power categories defined by the access point, each of the plurality of power categories having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network; determining whether an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point; generating, in response to a determination that the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point, a request to be assigned to the first power category by the access point; transmitting the request to the access point to cause the access point to either accept or reject the request based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement defined by the access point; and based on whether the access point accepts or rejects the request, selectively accessing the communication channel according to a first access priority associated with the first power category.
A client device in a wireless network optimizes channel access based on its power usage. The device receives power category requirements (e.g., minimum sleep time) from the access point. If the device meets the requirement for a specific "first" power category, it sends a request to the access point to be assigned to that category. If the access point accepts, the client accesses the network using the channel access priority associated with the "first" power category. This allows lower-power devices to potentially have quicker access.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.
The method described above involves the client station checking if its operating characteristics meet a specific threshold value set by the access point to qualify for the power-saving access priority. For example, the access point might require a minimum sleep interval, and the client checks if it meets that interval.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.
In the method described above, the operating characteristic considered for power category assignment can be the client's duty cycle, its sleep interval, or its communication channel access frequency. The client station uses one or more of these metrics to determine eligibility for the power-saving access priority.
11. The method of claim 8 , wherein the first power category is a lower power category than others of the plurality of power categories.
In the method described above, the "first" power category, which the device is trying to join, represents a lower power usage state compared to other power categories defined by the access point. This allows a client to be granted higher channel access priority as an incentive for saving power.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the respective access priorities include the first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with another of the plurality of power categories, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.
The method described above uses a channel access priority scheme in which the "first" power category has a higher priority for channel access than a "second" power category. This gives clients in the "first" category preferential access to the wireless channel.
13. The method of claim 8 , wherein the respective access priorities correspond to respective backoff times.
In the method described above, the different channel access priorities are implemented using different backoff times. A higher priority translates to a shorter backoff time, allowing devices in the "first" power category to access the channel more quickly.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the request includes an indication of the operating characteristic of the client station.
In the method described above, when the client requests assignment to the "first" power category, the request message includes information about its current operating characteristic (e.g., its duty cycle). This allows the access point to verify the device's eligibility for that power category.
15. An access point, comprising: a categorization module to define a first power category and at least one second power category, each of the first power category and the at least one second power category having a respective access priority associated with access to a communication channel of a wireless network; and a physical layer device to (i) communicate, to a client station, a requirement for assignment to the first power category as defined by the access point, and (ii) receive a request from the client station that is generated based on a determination that an operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first category, wherein the categorization module is further to, in response to the request received from the client station and based on whether the operating characteristic meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category, accept or reject the request received from the client station.
An access point manages client device access priorities based on power usage. It defines multiple power categories (including a "first" category) and associates a channel access priority with each. The access point communicates requirements for the "first" power category (e.g., minimum sleep time) to client devices. When a client requests to be assigned to the "first" category (based on meeting the requirement), the access point either accepts or rejects the request depending on whether the client actually meets the stated requirement.
16. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the requirement for assignment includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.
In the access point described above, the requirement that is communicated to the client device for assignment to the first power category includes a predetermined threshold for the operating characteristic of the client station.
17. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the operating characteristic includes at least one of a duty cycle of the client station, a sleep interval of the client station, and a communication channel access frequency of the client station.
In the access point described above, the operating characteristic used to determine power category eligibility can be the device's duty cycle, its sleep interval, or its communication channel access frequency.
18. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the first power category is a lower power category than the at least one second power category.
In the access point described above, the "first" power category represents a lower power usage state compared to the other power categories. The aim is to incentivize devices to reduce power consumption in exchange for potentially better channel access.
19. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the respective access priorities include a first access priority associated with the first power category and a second access priority associated with the at least one second power category, and wherein the first access priority is higher than the second access priority.
In the access point described above, channel access priorities are configured such that the "first" power category has a higher priority than a "second" power category. This provides preferential access to the wireless channel for devices that meet the power-saving requirements.
20. The access point of claim 15 , wherein the categorization module is further to i) monitor the operating characteristic of the client station, ii) determine whether the operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category, and iii) assign the client station to one of the first power category and the at least one second power category based on the determination of whether the operating characteristic of the client station meets the requirement for assignment to the first power category.
The access point described above can automatically monitor a client's operating characteristic (e.g., duty cycle) and determine if the client meets the requirements for the "first" power category. Based on this determination, the access point automatically assigns the client to either the "first" power category or another power category, removing the need for the client to explicitly request a power category assignment.
Unknown
September 26, 2017
Browse 5M+ US patents with plain-English claim translations and AI-generated analysis.